A Marriage of Convenience Isn't Always Convenient
by Jhiz
Summary: The Scoobies believed they averted the end of the world by stopping the final Vahrall death in the ritual Sacrifice of Three. Unfortunately, magic doesn't seem to work in the favor of the Slayer when the Hellmouth is involved.
1. Doomed

"So Riley's a commando?" Willow questioned softly as the Initiative soldier moved into the darkness outside the charred ruins of Sunnydale High School. The remaining Scoobies and the vampire watched him disappear with varying levels of distrust and nervousness. None of them were very comfortable with the idea of the Initiative being active on the Hellmouth. Spike might have been the only one truly hurt by them so far but the others were still concerned about their ultimate purpose.

A pained expression passed over the Slayer's face as she offered a tiny shrug.

"I guess so," she murmured in response even though she had already known the teaching assistant's status for a couple days but hadn't shared the information with her friends or Watcher yet. Shame and annoyance pricked at her conscience. The entire situation with the commando was confusing, and she wished there was a simple solution. She was willing to admit that she liked the graduate psychology student, but she was so afraid of any type of real relationship after the disaster that was her love affair with Angel. Her heart and her mind were in agreement for once. She wasn't ready to be hurt again. She refused to think of herself as a coward though even after Riley had called her one earlier in the evening. She preferred to call her actions cautious. She didn't want her feelings to once more be the cause of any ones death or the precursor to the next apocalypse. As it was, they had quite enough of those without her adding to the mix.

"I'm off to check on Giles," Buffy stated to her companions as she shoved aside her guilty feelings about keeping secrets from the people closest to her. Now was not the time to be thinking about her non-existent love life or her penchants for encountering the end of the world scenarios. "He'll wanna know the doomage has passed."

The Slayer took a total of three steps before she reached out and grabbed the back of Xander's hideous Hawaiian shirt that Spike was currently sporting.

"Where do you think you're going?" Buffy questioned the vampire as he attempted to sneak off into the darkness.

Having just discovered that he was able to put a beating on demons, Spike had been intent on escaping into the night and discovering some destruction of the demonic kind but his plans were once more disrupted by the tiny hand of the Slayer. He attempted to shrug loose from her grip but the Slayer only tightened her hold.

"You're coming with me," Buffy ordered imperiously. "You can't be wandering around town unsupervised. Who knows what evil you'll get up to."

Spike grumbled but allowed himself to be pulled in the direction of Giles' flat. Willow and Xander trailed the two arguing enemies and shook their heads as the Slayer and Vampire slipped into a rude and childish snipping match. Neither one wanted to catch the attention of the two spatting combatants for fear of suffering some of the residual ill will.

Tired and grungy from their fight with the Vahral demons, the foursome finally reach Giles' home. Buffy and Spike coincidentally ended their verbal sparring with a poorly conceded draw at the same time. The group clamored into the apartment. Giles glanced up at the commotion and shifted with a groan. He still hurt all over from the earlier beating when the demons had stolen the Word of Valios from him. He swung his feet off the sofa and levered himself into an upright position. He retrieved his glassed from the book strewn coffee table so that he could better see his guests.

"I take it from your healthy return and the fact that the world hasn't been cast into a fiery hell that you were successful," the injured Brit stated proudly.

"Yup. Doomage all avoided," Buffy assured her mentor with an attempt at a perky grin slipping across her lips. Given her mood, it fell a bit flat of happy but none of her friends seemed to notice. On the other hand, her chipped enemy noticed the sad attempt at a cover. He smirked at the knowledge that the Slayer was not having a good day. Stripped of his ability to attack the girl, the vampire was left with enjoying her emotional pain instead of her physical injury.

As expected, Rupert requested a thorough retelling of the battle even though he wasn't up to writing the tale down at the time. He listened raptly as Buffy described the battle with the powerful demons and their attempts to complete the Sacrifice of Three ritual which would have opened the Hellmouth. Occasionally, Xander and Willow interrupted the telling in order to add their own contributions to the mix.

The three Scoobies glared at Spike when he broke into the story to crow about his ability to fight demons. Only hours ago, the vampire was ready to dust himself but now he was pumped to go save the world in a blaze of green blood and pink ooze. His demon had been caged for too long. He didn't care what he was killing; he just wanted something to hurt.

"Yeah, you were so helpful with the demon killing," Xander rebuked. "You tossed the second demon right into the Hellmouth. So not of the helpful."

Giles suddenly appeared very unhappy.

"Wait, one of the sacrifices actually made it into the Hellmouth?"

"Two actually," Willow confirmed timidly. She didn't like the panic that was edging into the Watcher's motions. "The first demon with the child bones and the other one with the man's blood both ended up in the rift in the floor."

Giles wearily pushed himself from the couch and reached for one of his ever present books.

"Components and sacrifices both went in the rift?" the Watcher questioned. "Please tell me you saved the Word of Valios. We will need to properly destroy it so it cannot be used again to complete the ritual."

The three Scoobies glanced uncomfortably at each other.

"Um, the talisman thing-y went into the hole with the third demon," Buffy admitted.

"Wait, but you said you stopped the ritual," Giles countered in a rising voice that ended in a shout.

"I stopped the third sacrifice," Buffy explained. "Dove in and caught him before he could end his life for the ritual. The demons still dead. Just not down the hole."

"But the Word of Valios still fell in the chasm?" Giles questioned harshly.

Buffy nodded.

"Good Lord..." the Watcher exclaimed as he clamored for a different book. "The ritual is still active but incomplete," Giles murmured as he began rapidly flipping through pages of the old tomb.

Spike chuckled.

"Someone didn't earn their Slayer cookie tonight," he teased.

"Shut up, Spike," Buffy snapped in return. "Even if I have no cookie I can still make you crumble."

"Oh yes, let's make light of the impending end of the world," Giles criticized as he glared at the arguing Slayer and Vampire.

Willow approached the coffee table and the pile of books they had previously been using for researching the Ritual of Three and the Vahral demons.

"How can we help?" she asked as she reached for a book.

Giles shifted his attention from the two snipping blondes to the redhead. He explained that they needed to find some sort of way to terminate the ritual. Willow nodded and settled on the couch and began to peruse her chosen book. Xander sighed deeply before joining them on the couch and picking up his own book. Reluctantly, Buffy also moved towards the pile of musty old books and grabbed two. She then stomped towards the dining room table and shoved the larger of the two books at Spike as she passed.

"Whots this for?" the vampire demanded.

"Make yourself useful," the Slayer replied as she settled at the table and opened her own book.

"I don't think so," Spike countered as he slammed the tome onto the table.

Buffy lifted her head and narrowed her eyes for a heartbeat. The two enemies held their gaze for a long moment before Buffy finally snorted.

"Fine, whatever. Not sure why I would have expected you could read anyway," she cut.

"Pft, I can read circles around your American public school educated self any day of the week. I read a number of human languages and even a couple demon ones," he bragged as he took a seat at the table and absently flipped through the heavy book Buffy had shoved into his hands.

The room was filled with little more than the sound of turning pages and bodies shifting to more comfortable positions for almost an hour before anyone actually discovered anything helpful.

"Umm, I think I found something," Xander claimed as he pressed his finger to a page and reread a short passage. "Yeah. Yeah. I found something."

Harris waved the book towards Giles who promptly snagged it from the younger man. Rupert quickly scanned the page. When he was halfway done, he hummed in agreement.

"I think you did at that," he offered in way of thanks to Xander who flopped back onto the couch with a happy sigh. Finding an answer meant he didn't need to read any more old books and his brain was currently protesting the work it had already done.

Everyone else in the room waited silently for Giles to share the answer to the problem. Both Buffy and Spike pushed aside their books and Willow gently laid hers on the large pile already on the coffee table.

"Yes, well it says here that there is only one way to nullify the Ritual of Three once it has been initiated and all components spent. The Ritual of the Expiation of Three can be performed to balance the powers amassed through the Ritual of Three."

"Do we know what the Ex-Patriot of Three is?" Buffy asked.

"Expiation and it is a sacrifice of body, mind and spirit," Giles answered promptly as he read from the passage. "The One of Light gives sacrifice of body, mind and spirit in honor of the Four and in the eyes of the Blessed Mother and the Great Father."

With trepidation clenching her stomach, Buffy asked who the One of Light was.

Giles stammered an apology along with the explanation that for their needs, she would have to be the One of Light.

Spike snickered.

"Too bad we all know she ain't a virgin sacrifice," the vampire harassed.

"Um, yes, that would be one type of sacrifice," Giles stammered as Buffy glared at the vampire. "There are, um, of course other types of sacrifices and gifts of atonement."

"So what? Buffy lops off a limb and tosses it into the Hellmouth and we all get on with our lives?" Xander joked in an attempt to cut the rising tension in the room.

Both Buffy and Giles glared at the joker in response.

"Closing my mouth now," the chastised youth replied as he sunk dejectedly into his seat.

Giles shook his head in frustration before he explained that the ritual needed sacred sacrifices and although a limb would meet the need of body it would not fulfill the mind or soul. He then turned back to the book and skimmed the section of possible rites. He sighed heavily.

"Unfortunately, only two of these rites are even possible given our restrictive time frame and the first one, well, since it ends in Buffy's death, I think we will skip that one."

"Ok... yeah, I am all for not doing that one," Buffy stressed.

"Too bad," muttered Spike only to be slapped in the arm by the Slayer.

"Uh, yes, then well, I guess we should prepare the other choice," Giles answered with a grimace as he glanced nervously between the book and his Slayer. He spared a single apprehensive glance at the chipped vampire before hiding his face back in the lines of the tome.

Everyone waited for the explanation of what the actual Expiation of Three would entail but Giles just continued to mutter to himself and flip between pages.

Finally, Buffy wasn't able to handle the delay any longer.

"Giles!" She yelled. "What exactly do I need to do?"

Giles finally stopped fussing with his reading. He pulled his glasses from his face and tapped them against his hip while offering his Slayer an expression mixed with sadness and pity.

"Giles, you're scaring me," Buffy murmured as she took a step towards her obviously upset Watcher. "What do I need to do?"

Giles sighed deeply.

"You need to get married."


	2. Negotiations

"I what?!" Buffy shouted partly in horror and partly in utter shock.

"Um, yes, well, you will need to get married. And it needs to be immediately. There is no time for delay. Every moment we wait could lead to something, animal, demon or human to stumble onto the rift and fall in and complete the sacrifice. It really is the only feasible way to nullify the active ritual over the Hellmouth."

Buffy frown.

"Who am I going to marry?" she asked as her glance flitted between the only two choices she thought were on hand.

As she stared at Xander, his confused look seemed to take on a startled expression followed by an excited glow. He waved his hand in the air and offered his voluntary services to help thwart the apocalypse.

Giles rolled his eyes.

"Unfortunately, you will not work Xander," the Watcher replied. His calm denial crushed the young man's hopes and sent him slouching into a pout on the couch.

"But why you instead of Xander?" Willow questioned as she consoled her friend by patting his knee.

Giles replaced his glasses and moved towards his cabinet where he stored his scotch.

"She can't marry me either," he admitted in a pinched voice as he pulled his alcohol from the cupboard and poured himself a stiff drink. Fortified with the liquid courage, the Brit turned back to his young audience. A bit of a flush skipped up his neck and colored his cheeks as he started his explanation a couple times only to stumble over the words and fall silent.

"GILES!" Buffy shouted in annoyance at his continuous stammering and avoidance of the explanation.

"Make with the talkage, like now," the Slayer ordered. "The clock is ticking down on impending doom. Whatever you have to say can't be that horrid."

Giles frowned and shook his head before pouring himself another drink. He really didn't want to say what he needed to say but Buffy was right. He had to face the facts and explain properly no matter how uncomfortable the topic. Refilling his glass one more time, he carried the drink back to his sofa and took a seat.

"Look, unfortunately, and I hate to admit it, but Spike's harassment, uncouthness aside, actually has merit."

The Watcher offered his Slayer an apologetic smile.

"You are not a virgin so the simple ritual as it stands would not work. You don't have blood to gift a normal husband. You need to gift it another way."

Spike once more snorted.

"It's always the blood," he muttered.

Everyone ignored his comment though as they stared at Giles.

"So how does Buffy share blood if not the, um, traditional virgin way?" Willow asked curiously.

Giles stared at the redhead for a moment until her eyes suddenly widened in realization.

"Oh no," she gasped in horror as her head whipped around so she could stare at the bleached blond vampire leaning against the wall beside the table. Her mouth hung open in unexpressed disgust and sorrow and her green eyes started to tear at the thought of what her friend was going to be forced to do.

Buffy and Xander watched Willow's moment of epiphany and scrambled to catch up. Xander followed his best friend's glance towards Spike and the horror in her expression cut through his confusion.

"NO WAY!" the young man shouted as he stood up. Unable or unsure what else to say, Xander then sat back down without doing anything. He then reached out and grabbed the half finished glass of scotch in Giles' hand. He gulped the amber liquid and sputtered before standing up once more.

"Really, no way," Xander repeated before sitting back down. He was so agitated he didn't know what to do about the feelings and images assaulting him. His mind was a swirling mass of disjointed sounds and images that made no logical sense. There was literally no way in his mind he could reconcile his hero and crush to marrying the evil undead bane of their existence. He nervously played with the empty glass in his hand and wondered if Giles would yell at him if he refilled it.

It was Buffy's reaction that had Giles most concerned though. She had just stared blankly at Willow for a moment before shifting her attention to her Watcher. He saw the life seem to drain from her and a fatalistic acceptance settle in its place. She didn't even sigh or offer a single complaint. The teen didn't even glance at the vampire like her friends had done. She only lifted her head slightly to meet her Watcher's worried eyes.

"When do we do the ritual," she stated in a voice void of all emotion.

Before Giles could answer, Spike finally realized why Willow was staring at him in horror and Xander was staring at him in renewed hatred. Unexpectedly, he echoed Xander's earlier sentiment.

"No way," the vampire stated.

Everyone ignored his comment. In fact, they continued to ignore his increasingly loud and profane exclamations of denial. Instead, Giles started giving instructions about the collection of the needed components for the spell because the ritual needed completed immediately. Any additional delay could truly mean the end of the world as they knew it.

Following his directions, Willow moved to his desk and began digging in his drawers to search out a willow wand the Watcher insisted was somewhere in it. It took her digging through odds and ends in three different drawers before her fingers wrapped around the needed item.

Across the room, Xander opened the cabinet by the steps and started picking up incense coils and sniffing them. Giles had told him that they needed ones that smelled like flowers. He discarded a number of them until he had two which he thought smelled all flowery. He tossed the rest unceremoniously back into place and brought the fragrant coils to the Watcher.

Buffy had entered the kitchen and dug in the lower cabinet to retrieve two pillar candles. One needed to be white to represent the One of Light and one needed to be red or black to signify the vampire. When she returned with two used candles, Giles sent her back to dig for a new white one. He insisted it needed to be pure and unlit to better perform the ritual. Buffy obediently followed his directions and went back to digging in the cabinet until she found an acceptable white candle.

Willow pulled a box of books from the floor and emptied the tomes from it. She brought it to the coffee table so they could add all the needed items into it.

"We need a veil and something scarlet for Buffy to wear," Giles listed as he mentally checked off the items still required. "We also need flowers and a set of rings."

"What you need is a bloody bridegroom!" Spike yelled as he approached the box. He picked up the container and tossed it across the room.

"There is no way in Hell I am marrying the Slayer!" he screamed in the Watcher's face.

In the next moment, the raging vampire found himself face down on the carpet with a seething blonde on his back and his arm twisted painfully behind him. The Slayer forced his arm a bit higher and he grunted in pain.

"You will do what you are told, Spike," Buffy warned quietly. She punctuated the order with another twist on his arm.

"Like Hell I will!" the vampire responded into the carpet. He made an attempt to wiggle free but found the Slayer's grip like a steel bar across his body. He was completely trapped and everyone knew it.

Buffy said nothing in reply to his angry protest. She merely remained frozen for a moment as she took a deep breath.

"Can you guys give me a few minutes," she asked levelly as she looked up at her concerned friends.

Willow and Xander returned her gaze and nodded. The redhead offered to go back to their dorm room and find her something with red to wear. Her best friend offered to accompany her. Giles reminded them that they also needed some kind of material to act as a veil. He then offered the teens his car keys in order to speed up their errand. Taking the transportation offering, Willow nodded and dragged Xander from the flat with a promise to return soon.

"Um, I have something to get from my loft, will that suffice for your privacy needs?" Giles asked as he glanced in concern at the downed vampire and the livid girl holding him in place.

Buffy simply nodded and Giles quietly moved up the steps to his sleeping area to give the teen at least the appearance of privacy. In a fluid motion, Buffy lifted her weight from Spike's back and forced him to roll over. She sat back down on his stomach to keep him in place and released his arm. Because of his chip, the Slayer wasn't worried about him attempting to hurt her. Buffy was mostly concerned about him staying in place so they could negotiate. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared intently at the trapped vamp.

"What do you want in exchange," she calmly stated.

Spike tilted his head just a bit to the side and his eyes narrowed.

"You could start by sliding back a bit," he suggested with a manufactured leer as he bucked up his hips a bit to punctuate his rude proposition.

Buffy's fist flew out and smashed into his nose.

"BLOODY HELL!" the vampire responded as he brought his left hand up to cradle his now broken and bleeding nose.

"Terms," the Slayer stressed as her hands fell to her sides. She flexed them repeatedly while she resisted the urge to punch the vampire again. She might not have been adverse to a good strangling either if it would have been at all effective against the vampire.

"You can't be serious," Spike mumbled into his hand.

Buffy's shoulders lowered ever so slightly and she closed her eyes for a moment. Spike watched as the teen opened her eyes with a light of determination present that he should have expected to see but somehow still startled him. He may hate the Slayer and her goody two shoes bit but the vampire couldn't help but admire her fortitude.

"Terms," Buffy repeated softly.

Spike lowered his hand from his face and licked at the blood that had dripped from his nose onto his upper lip. Buffy resisted the urge to protest and instead just wrinkled her nose in disgust at his blood seeking behavior.

"Well, to start with, no more punching me in the nose," he replied.

Buffy nodded.

Spike's eyes widened when he realized that the Slayer was serious. She was actually going to allow him to negotiate. An evil smile slipped onto his lips. In response, he felt Buffy's thighs tighten on his sides. Her blank expression took on a bit of warning of possible pain if he wasn't careful. He silently considered the possibilities.

"I need a place to live. A real place. Not stuffed in the smelly basement with your castoff friend."

Buffy caught her lip between her teeth. She worried the skin lightly as she tried to think of a problem with the request. It was actually a reasonable one. She certainly wouldn't want to live in the Harris basement. Smell and clutter aside, living anywhere with Xander's parents would drive a saint to contemplate murder. Her current prospective groom was as far from a saint as one could get. Unfortunately, Spike wouldn't be able to live in the dorm with her and Willow but there had to be another solution beside chaining him back in Giles' bathtub. Although she wasn't really sure where he could actually stay, she agreed with a nod.

"I want a bit of violence," the vampire proposed.

A hint of a smile teased at Buffy's lips.

"I thought you didn't want me punching you," she replied as she shifted her body slightly so that she was bit more comfortable on her Spike shaped seat. She rested her hands on her thighs and rolled her neck slightly. She grinned a bit evilly as she considered working out her frustrations on a Spike-shaped punching bag.

"Yeah, not really looking for a one sided event, pet," he countered as he unconsciously shifted his hands down so that they were brushing against his captor's ankles.

"You want to patrol with me?"

For a moment, Spike considered the proposal. The chance to watch the Slayer in action and get in a rough and tumble of his own had a definite appeal. It would be a blast to put a serious hurting on the resident demon population of the Hellmouth. It sure beat watching television and listening to Harris whine.

"Agreed. I will be happy to watch your back, Slayer."

"Ah, no," the teen replied with a shake of her head. "I don't trust you at my back but you can take a side where I can see you."

Spike grinned and agreed.

"Anything else?" Buffy asked quietly.

"Blood," Spike added.

Buffy immediately nodded. She had been expecting this request.

"The real stuff, Slayer," Spike clarified. "Not that lousy pig shite."

Buffy sighed.

"I can't ask folks to open their veins for you, Spike," the teen responded.

The vampire nodded in understanding but a slight smirk rose on his lips. He raised a hand and trailed it over her wrist. Buffy snatched her wrist away from his soft touch as if his finger burned her skin. She cradled her wrist in the opposite hand against her chest and a moment of panic flitted across her face.

The smirk left Spike's face to be replaced with a serious expression.

"A Scotch drinker doesn't need Glenfiddich every night, Slayer. But a treat is a treat. I'm willing to settle for daily Jack but I want an occasional treat."

Buffy frowned at the alcohol analogy.

"You want expensive Scotch?" she asked incredulously.

Spike chuckled.

"No. pet, how about you just give me an occasional Slayer special and I will endure the pig swill regularly."

Once more, Buffy worried her lower lip with her teeth as she considered his request. She took a deep breath.

"Agreed."

Spike grinned as he reached out and grasp the Slayer by the hips. Gently, he lifted her and slid her until she was sitting on his legs. He sat up until they were face to face. He chuckled.

"Who woulda thought Red's spell was prophetic, huh?"

Buffy snorted and stood. She offered a hand towards the vampire to assist him to stand. For a moment, the vampire stared at the offered hand as he considered what he was about to do. By taking her hand, he was officially switching sides. It really wasn't what he wanted out of his unlife. If he had needed to breath, he would have sighed deeply. Instead, he shook his head in disgust at just how far he had fallen. Decision made, he reached out and enveloped Buffy's hand with his own. With a hard tug, the Slayer pulled Spike to his feet.

"Wonder if that means Giles is gonna ultimately end up blind?" Buffy mused.

"Hmm, I was more wondering if the Watcher might cough up some Glenfiddich as a wedding gift," Spike muttered in reply.

"He's unemployed and its the middle of the night, Spike. Think you will have to make due with whatever he has in his cupboard."

Spike now did sigh as if the available drink was truly a hardship. He moved towards the cabinet and Giles' open bottle of cheap alcohol as Buffy called out to the Watcher to let him know they were done negotiating. Within moments, Giles had returned from his bedroom loft. He placed a small, intricately carved case in the righted cardboard box as well as a long braided gold chord which previously held back one of his thick bedroom window curtains. Meanwhile, Buffy returned the other strewn items to their place in the box. She held up the white candle which was now dented and chipped but not completely broken.

"Fitting," she muttered as she dropped the candle into the box.

Giles doubled checked the ritual. He clucked his tongue once before moving to his desk and digging in the bottom drawer. Pulling free a small white folded scrap of embroidered white material, he nodded to himself once then turned to the reluctant bride and groom.

"All we need are some flowers and we have everything necessary for the ritual. That is, as long as Willow finds you a veil and something with at least a touch of scarlet to wear," Rupert proclaimed.

"Then we should get going to the school. The convenience store on seventh might have something flowery. If not, I bet we can snag something from one of the graves at Sunset Pines. It's on the way," the Slayer planned.

Giles nodded in agreement. He promised to follow with Willow and Xander as soon as they returned. He watched as Buffy looked at Spike for a moment. She then sprinted up the steps to Giles' bedroom where the vampire and Watcher could hear her rummaging through drawers. Buffy returned quickly and tossed a dark green sweater at the vampire.

"There is no way I am marrying you in that shirt," she announced as Spike stared at the halfway decent article of clothing. It wasn't like what he would normally wear but anything was better than Xander hand me downs. The vampire snorted as he pulled off the offensive Hawaiian shirt and replaced it with the item Buffy chose. He dropped the ridiculous shirt on the floor before pulling the soft woolen sweater over his head.

As soon as the sweater was in place, Buffy grabbed his arm and pulled Spike towards the door. She promised to meet Giles at the school as she then dragged her forced fiance' out the door. The pair walked in silence for a couple blocks until Spike couldn't stand it any longer. He wiggled his arm which was still locked in the Slayer's tight grip.

"I'm not gonna run away," he muttered in annoyance. "You don't need to manhandle the goods."

Buffy's grasp loosened slightly and then she shifted her death hold on his arm to a more companionable clasp around his elbow. To an outside observer, they now appeared like a couple out for a romantic midnight stroll. They continued in the quiet for another block when they reached the convenience store. Unfortunately, there were no flowers to be found there so they detoured slightly to head towards the closest active cemetery. As they traveled down Maple Street, Spike suddenly paused. Buffy stumbled when her companion failed to keep moving with her. When she turned to question the vampire, she noticed he was standing in front of the florist and staring at the beautiful display of fresh flowers.

"Spike?"

The vampire glanced once at Buffy before stepping towards the shop.

"The place is closed, Spike," the Slayer stated about the obviously locked up and darkened shop.

Spike just snorted as he grabbed the door handle and snapped the simple lock with a twist of his wrist.

"SPIKE!" chastised the Slayer as the vampire broke into the shop. "You can't do that!"

Disregarding Buffy's scolding, the vampire stepped into the darkened flower shop and moved towards one of the coolers in the back of the shop near the cash register. Buffy followed him to the door and kept calling at him to stop but he ignored her pleas. Instead, he pulled open one of the first refrigerated unit and pawed through the fresh flowers. He paused for a moment at a collection of blood red roses but shook his head and dismissed them as being too predictable. He likewise rejected collections of daisies, irises and cosmos. The vampire smirked at the thought of grabbing the snapdragons but figured their meaning might earn him some pain somewhere other than his nose. He decided it wasn't worth the risk. Spike moved to the second cooler. He shuffled through its offerings. Smiling brightly, the vampire grabbed a heavy glass vase that held an already assembled collection of creamy white flowers with broad curled green leaves. He turned from the cooler and headed back towards the entrance.

"Spike, you can't take those," Buffy informed the vampire as he strode towards the door. "You can't steal flowers."

Spike stopped by the door and faced off with the indignant teen.

"You were going to steal flowers from graves."

"But..." Buffy started to reply as she glanced around the dark shop. "They're dead people flowers. No one will miss them."

"Either stealing is wrong all the time or it has merit for certain circumstances," Spike countered. "If it is wrong, it doesn't matter who you take from, dead or otherwise, it is still wrong. If it is okay to steal in this instance because we're all about to save the world and some such then it makes sense to get the proper flowers and not some wilted cast off."

Buffy remained silent for a long moment. She really wasn't sure how to refute Spike's statement. It was true that they would have been stealing flowers from the cemetery just as much as Spike wanted to steal them from the shop. In her mind, it didn't seem as bad to take from a grave though as it did from the florist. His argument had merit though and it made her want to say they shouldn't take any flowers from anywhere. Unfortunately, they had to have the flowers to complete the ritual. Otherwise, the world could end and no one would care about some missing flowers.

Buffy sighed. If she was honest with herself, this wouldn't be the first time something stolen was used to defeat the forces of evil. She hadn't raised a fuss when Xander stole the rocket launcher to blow up the Judge. It truly wasn't fair of her to hold a different standard on Spike then she did on her friends. Just because she liked Xander didn't make his theft any better. Nor did it make Spike's theft any worse because she didn't like him. That single realization made her stomach ache slightly as it shifted her world view slightly.

The Slayer lifted her hand and gently traced one of the soft creamy petals of the cup shaped flowers that the vampire was holding.

"Okay," she softly conceded before turning abruptly and exiting the flower shop. With a victory smirk firmly in place, Spike followed her. They briskly walked down the street towards the old school ruins. About a block from the burned out structure, Buffy finally spoke again.

"What's with the flowers?" she blurted.

"Huh?"

"Why did you pick these specific flowers? What makes them so... well... important?" Buffy questioned.

Spike's gaze darted towards her for a moment. He smiled but then shrugged.

"Flowers were kinda something special when I was alive. Each one meant something specific. You could send a message simply by sending a mixed bouquet. I love you, I miss you, I want you, I dream about you... all could be conveyed with specific blooms."

"What's this one mean?" Buffy asked as she waved her hands towards the vase and its cup-like flowers.

"These are Calla Lilly. They are a traditional wedding flower. The white ones are synonymous with holiness, faith or purity. Kinda fitting for the One of Light, don't-cha think? In a wedding, they are thought to denote divinity, marital bliss, and devotion. When given at a funeral, they represent the purification of the departed soul."

Spike paused for a moment.

"I just thought they fit. Nothing lovey dovey but still special sentiments for an important event," he added.

"Wow," Buffy muttered as they entered the charred ruins and followed their previous path towards the destroyed library. "And here I thought flowers were just flowers."

Spike snorted softly.

"Not much is ever only what it seems at first glance, pet," the vampire stated evenly as he stole a quick look at the girl beside him. In his mind, she was the epitome of that fact. To an outside observer, he or she would only see a pretty, perky little princess of a girl with a flighty mind and an overdeveloped love of trendy clothes but those who truly knew her, and Spike considered himself one of those people, saw an entirely different picture. Buffy Summers was a primal force. She was an unexpected power filled with grace and goodness that were sickening enough to cause a vampire cavities.

Buffy paused her steps and frowned slightly as she met Spike's intense gaze. She tilted her head ever so slightly as she considered the chipped vampire standing beside her once more with the intention of stopping an apocalypse. It wasn't the first time he had offered to help. On the other hand, it was the first time that she actually considered that there might be more to William the Bloody than his bloody past. It was a frightening concept and she wasn't sure if she was ready to really accept the fact even though the evidence was right in front of her face. Spike was evil. He was unexpectedly powerful and deceptively demonic and yet he didn't want the world to end. He caused the poor Slayer more confusion than any unsouled vampire could ever boast. For the moment, she just decided to be happy for his assistance.

"I think you may be onto something there," Buffy replied with a soft smile before turning and jumping the few feet to the stone floor that had once been her high school library.

Spike frowned. Her little smile confused him. The vampire had never seen one like it on her lips. Not even during their fake engagement had Buffy shared a look like that with him. It sent a shiver up his spine. He muttered a quiet curse. Perhaps Spike didn't know the Slayer as well as he thought.


	3. Body, Mind, and Spirit

Giles, Willow and Xander arrived while Buffy was moving fallen debris from the area near the rift to the Hellmouth. When the Slayer and vampire first arrived in the ruins, she had moved the dead body of the Vahrall demon away from the rift and tucked it into a dark corner. She didn't want to risk it falling into the hole and accidentally completing the ritual. She wasn't sure if an already dead body would do it or not but she didn't want to take any chances. Now she was simply tossing scattered rotten timbers and rock into the hole while Spike leaned against the cavern wall and observed her movements. As to be expected, he hadn't offered to help.

Interrupting her cleaning, her friends called to her and she approached the entrance. From the unstable doorway, Xander handed down the box of components to the waiting Slayer then helped Willow scramble down the rocks to the cavern floor. Buffy had then assisted the still beat up Giles after she handed the component box back to her friend.

When her Watcher inquired about the flowers, Buffy waved towards a large, flat rock on which sat the leaded crystal vase filled with Calla Lilies.

"Oh!" Giles exclaimed. "These are perfect. And quite beautiful, Buffy."

"Don't look at me, Giles. Spike picked 'em out."

The Slayer conveniently refrained from sharing how the vampire actually acquired the flowers.

Giles was startled by her reply and threw an incredulous expression in the vampire's direction.

"Well, he chose admirably," Rupert muttered in amazement as he started pulling items from the box. He asked Buffy and Xander to back away from the large rock that would serve well as an alter but then requested that Willow come assist him. He explained that she would be the priestess to his priest for the ceremony. All her previous sorrow for Buffy's plight as unwanted bride slipped away in her excitement to have an active part in the ritual magic. The redhead tripped happily across the cavern to aid with preparation for the Ritual of the Expiation of Three. They laid the white lace cloth on the stone first then they placed the Calla Lillies in the center towards the back. The red candle then flanked the blooms to the left while the white one found its spot on the right.

Giles then handed the intricately carved box and a tiny key to Willow and instructed her to open it and place the two rings tucked inside it onto the willow wand and then place the wand in the center of the alter just in front of the sacred white blooms. He stressed that no one was to touch the rings other than herself until they were presented during the ceremony. It would help preserve the integrity of the ceremony. Willow nodded in understanding and quickly opened the tiny case. She gasped at the antique jewelry nestled in place on well worn red velvet.

"Oh, Giles, these are so beautiful," she whispered in awe as she pulled free a set of matching wedding bands. Both gold bands had delicate scroll work of tiny feathers engraved into the metal. The smaller ring had two tiny diamonds and a slightly larger sapphire embedded in the ring while the larger one had no precious stones. In place of the stones, the masculine ring held the Giles family seal in miniature detail. Both rings had been the height of London fashion when they were originally purchased.

"They were my great-grandparents' wedding bands," Rupert explained with pride. "The feathers were a significant part of the Giles family crest. I had one day hoped to share them with someone special in my own life."

Giles glanced over his shoulder where Buffy was talking quietly to Xander.

"I guess I am. Just not how I imagined," he explained and then smiled a bit nostalgically as he fondly remembered the tiny, gray-haired woman who had ruled the Giles family with a sharp tongue and a mischievous smile when he was a tiny child. "I think my Nana Eunice would be thrilled to think her wedding ring will help save the world. She always did covet a good bit of adventure."

Giles watched as Willow carefully placed the rings on the wooden wand and set it on the alter. He then rolled the golden chord around his hand until it was in a neat collection that he carefully set beside the wand and rings. He then opened the ritual book to the proper page and double checked the placement of the components. He dug in the box and retrieved two incense coils which he placed at the far sides of the alter.

"Perhaps you should quickly help Buffy change?" Giles prompted as he pointed to the only remaining items in the box.

Willow grabbed the box and headed towards her best friend. The red head waved Xander away and they stepped behind some fallen rocks to assure at least a little privacy. Willow pulled a simple white sundress from the box and handed it to Buffy.

"I thought it had to be red?" the Slayer whispered in concern as she pulled off her shirt and bra and shimmied into the pretty dress. The flowing white material clung to her figure in a flattering manner and the hem brushed teasingly along the leg just above her knee. Buffy quickly fastened the tiny pearled buttons that closed the front of the bodice.

"Nothing said that the dress had to be scarlet. Just that you have to wear something scarlet."

Willow pulled a bright red pair of panties from the box.

Buffy looked horrified for a moment.

"I didn't have a lot to work with," Willow admitted sheepishly. "You didn't really have anything that worked in your closet and neither did I."

Buffy sighed and slipped off her boots. Her pants and underwear quickly followed and she slid into the scarlet slip of satin. She pulled free the tiny dagger she kept in her boot and pondered where to place it now. After too many episodes of scrambling for something to help slay the nasties she always seemed to encounter, the teen hated to go anywhere without some sort of weapon on her person. She finally decided to work the stiletto and sheath into the elastic band holding her hair back. Once secured in place, the heavy bit of silver was a comforting presence against the back of her neck.

"Good thing the light down here sucks or you could totally see the red undies through this dress," the teen muttered in annoyance as she grabbed the tiny white sandals that Willow had chosen to go with the dress. Willow grimaced and apologized again.

"It's fine, Wills," Buffy assured her friend as she stood from buckling the tiny straps on her shoes.

Willow then handed the final bit of wardrobe to her friend.

Buffy giggled.

"Didn't this used to be an overlay on one of your skirts?" the teen asked as she shifted the slightly stiff lace around in her hands.

Willow grimaced.

"Yes, but I couldn't find anything else to work as a veil so I just cut it off the skirt."

"But you liked that skirt."

Willow smiled and hugged her friend.

"Yeah, but I like the world better."

Buffy took a deep breath as she glanced towards the ominously glowing hole in the earth that dropped towards the Hellmouth. She then peeked around the corner of the fallen rock to where Spike stood in the shadows smoking. He leaned casually against the rock wall as if unaffected by any of the turmoil in everyone's thoughts. Buffy was a tad jealous of his strange ability to disregard the importance of what they were about to do.

"Me too," she sighed.

Deciding that there really was nothing more she could say to help, Willow assisted Buffy with the makeshift veil before grabbing her hand. She squeezed it once and then pulled her back around the corner. The redhead whispered that she looked lovely as they traveled across the small cavern towards Giles. She kept a supportive hold of her friend's hand until they reached the alter. Only when their mentor began to speak did Willow release her hand from Buffy's grasp.

"Um, Buffy, I need to make sure that you understand... that is... the ritual needs for... that is your marriage needs to be a... um true... um... marriage in every way to remain active. With your commitment, you will need to share blood with him as well as... um... share a marriage bed," the Watcher stammered as he stared at the rocky floor in misery.

Buffy reached out and touched Giles on the arm. He lifted his head and met her gaze.

"I figured as much, Giles. Don't worry about it. I understand what you mean by a true marriage."

Although surprised at the almost mellow acceptance Buffy was showing at his pronouncement, Giles nodded and fought the grimace he wanted to make. He had more unpleasantness to share before they could begin and he worried that adding to Buffy's burden was not going to help the situation.

"I just wanted to make sure that you understood clearly. We wouldn't want you to go through all this and not have the ritual needs be met. You need to be aware that it isn't enough to just share the physical and blood aspects. Remember, there are three factions, if you will, that must be soothed. I know you understand the body requirements. The mind atonement will be met by your acceptance of the commitment. The spirit is another matter entirely. The spirit, or heart if you will, needs more than just the vows," the older man cautioned.

"Heart? Giles, I can't share my heart with Spike," Buffy stated with obvious apprehension. "I can't make myself love him."

"No, no, of course not, Buffy," Giles assured the teen. If anything, the Watcher appeared horrified at the prospect of his Slayer sharing any feeling other than loathing with her intended groom. "Love isn't what is needed. Remember, this is all about sacrifices. That means you are actually sacrificing your heart for it to work. You are giving up the chance at the love you may want. It is about potential. No matter if you meet that perfect man next week, you won't be able to be with him. Your heart and soul will already be committed elsewhere. That is what the spirit needs. Not just the words but the intent in your heart."

"Can you do that?" Giles asked softly.

Buffy simply nodded. She really didn't have a choice in the matter so she didn't understand why Giles was making such a big deal about the details. She sighed. Like was expected, the teen would do whatever was needed. She was rapidly approaching the point of understanding the Watcher's Council's position on Slayers. She was flirting with the thought that she was nothing more than a tool to be used however the universe deemed it necessary to preserve the world. For just a moment, the Slayer wondered how much more she would have to give before it was all over. In the back of her mind, she even wondered if she had anything more than her life worth giving any longer.

"Let's just get this over with," the Slayer stated with a finality that made shivers rise up the spines of her three friends. Even Spike gave pause at the sharp edge in her tone as he joined her by the alter. When Buffy met his gaze, he simply nodded. He might not be thrilled but he was along for the ride no matter how bumpy. It offered the Slayer a small bit of comfort that unlike her friends who offered her only pity, Spike appeared to offer her an understanding of her position. It might have been because he too was being forced into the marriage but the vampire seemed to realize the personal strength Buffy was showing in the face of this newest threat. He knew she didn't want pity; she just wanted to get the pain over instead of lingering over it.

Giles finally acknowledged that there was nothing more holding them back from the ritual. With a heaviness in his heart for the girl he had watched grow in such impressive ways the past few years, Giles directed the Slayer and the vampire to stand in front of the makeshift alter. Willow moved in front of Spike while Rupert faced Buffy. In the shadows of the cavern, Xander sadly took a seat on some rock rubble in order to watch the subtle death of a tiny dream he had been secretly nurturing since embracing his crush on his friend. More so than any boyfriend she might have had in the past, this ceremony would put the Slayer truly beyond the young man's hopeful reach. He sighed in frustration and silently cursed at the fates.

Giles moved to light the candles on the alter and started to cuss. They hadn't brought matches to light the wicks or the incense. Without being asked, Spike pulled his lighter from his pocket and offered it to the Watcher. Startled by the unsolicited save, Rupert took the metal lighter and offered a soft thank you in return. Spike just shrugged. Giles lit both incense coils. He offered a short prayer to the Blessed Mother before lighting the white candle. He then repeated a similar request for blessing from the Great Father before lighting the red candle. He handed the lighter back to the groom as he lifted the book and focused on the words of the ritual. The dim light made reading difficult for the Watcher so he shifted to use the aid of the candlelight.

"May this place be holy in the eyes of the Gods. May their blessings be felt in the joining of Buffy and William who stand humbly before them with commitment and devotion in their hearts."

Giles handed the book to Willow who took a deep breath. She swallowed nervously then stammered through her first line as priestess. She called upon the Old Ones to witness the union and offer their support for the couple.

"Bbb-be with uh-us, Oh bbb-beings of Air. With your clever fff-fingers tie closely the bonds between these two."

As she spoke, the redhead's words grew fuller and more confident as a touch of unexpected peace surrounded her. Her hair moved gently and the pages of the book ruffled slightly as if caressed by a light breeze. The harsh sulfuric smell that had previously pervaded the cavern eased. It left behind a freshness much like the smell of freshly laundered linen. The bride and groom breathed the air deeply and visibly relaxed as if invisible fingers were soothing their tensions from their bodies.

"Be with us, Oh beings of Fire. Give bloom to the love and passion of their joining with your all consuming flame."

The candles flickered in response to the words Willow spoke and the room suddenly felt much warmer. As if those present had stepped inside from the cold and stood warming themselves in front of a blazing fireplace. Buffy and Spike gasped in surprise as the wave of heat washed over their forms and engulfed them in its unexpected embrace. Sweat immediately began to develop on Buffy's body while Spike shuddered in pleasure as a deep seeded heat built in his body that he had not experienced in ages. The blast of warmth slowly lessened to a more comfortable temperature as Willow continued her recitation.

"Be with us, Oh beings of Water. Flow into your children and gift them in richness of the body, of the mind and of the spirit."

A sense of peace and contentment quieted Buffy's racing thoughts. For the first time in longer than she cared to admit, she felt a level of calm and contentment that far surpassed any of her worries and stresses. Unconsciously, her hand reach out and bumped against Spike's hand. He had likewise lifted his own hand in search of a physical connection to compensate for the emptiness that seemed to open in his chest and drown in the emptiness where his soul should be. When their hands joined, some of the contentment and calm seemed to rush like a wave from Buffy's heart and crash into Spike's chest. He gasped in shock and even a bit of pain. The Slayer's hold on his hand tightened slightly as he trembled for a moment. The vampire's eyes closed and he shook as he conceded the internal battle and allowed the soft feelings to wash unhindered through him.

His eyes opened again and he turned his head to make eye contact with Buffy. She squeezed his hand tightly in silent understanding. She too was floored by the rush of unexpected sensations that were assaulting them. Spike returned the tight squeeze with one of his own and the two turned their attention back to the acting priestess.

"Be with us, Oh beings of Earth. Lend your strength and constancy to your children for as long as they give commitment to each other."

The earth trembled slightly in response to Willow's words. Steam rose from the rift in the floor and Xander had to scramble from his seat as more rocks cascaded down near his perch. He stumbled closer to the ceremony where a level of calm pervaded in the rumbling chaos. The dust swirled and settled and Willow completed the request for intervention.

"Blessed Mother and Great Father, give to Buffy and Spike your protection and favor in their union."

With eyes wide at the powers that had moved through her during the reading, Willow handed the book towards Giles. She shook as the energy disapated from her body and she once more left as just her own powers in her own body. Instead of taking the offered book from the novice witch, Giles shook his head and held up a finger to silently ask for her to wait a moment. The Watcher reached for the golden chord and lifted it from the alter. He was careful not to touch the willow wand and the rings in his measured movements. With efficient motions and an encouraging smile for Buffy, the Brit took the chord and began to bind together the already joined hands of the bride and groom.

After the couple was bound with the woven cloth, Giles took the book from Willow and instructed her to lift the wand and hold it before the bride and groom. The teen quickly complied. Giles then directed the Slayer and vampire to lift their free hands to touch the ring intended for their soon to be spouse. Buffy's pointer finger gently rested against the masculine ring while Spike pinched the delicate feminine one between his finger and thumb. The cool metal of the rings warmed under their touch as the fire blessing sought to join in the rich promise held in the unending loop of metal in the rings.

Giles cleared his throat.

"Above are the stars. Below are the stones. Time passes and these facts remain immutable. Remember that like a star, your commitment should be constant. Like a stone, your resolve should be firm," the Watcher intoned. "Be close to each other but forget not your duties to others, posses one another but temper your actions with patience and compassion. Though chaos may rise, remain strong in your heart, minds and spirits for peace will return. Offer to the other that which they are missing and accept their skills and gifts in return."

"Be free in the giving of affection and warmth," he continued.

For the first time, Giles' voice faltered slightly. A flash of pain for his charge washed through his eyes as he worked to regain control.

"Make love often and be sensuous with each other," he finally murmured uncomfortably. The Watcher truly did not want to contemplate what he was actually charing his Slayer to do. Giles took a deep breath and cleared his face of the negative emotions warring inside his chest.

"Live not in fear and embrace your partner's words over those of the remaining world. Know that your union is blessed by the Mother and the Father and that none should have the power to undermine their benevolence."

"Grace be with you now and always."

Giles waited a few heartbeats before holding the book towards Willow so that she could read her next part while still holding the wooden wand.

The redhead met the eyes of her best friend. She offered her an encouraging smile as she spoke her next part.

"Is it your wish, Buffy, to become one with this man?" she asked.

Buffy nodded solemnly and replied yes.

Giles then spoke to Spike. Unlike Willow's warm gaze, his eyes held a hardness that bordered on threat. They promised pain to the vampire if he didn't answer properly. It might have also been a warning for the vampire not to hurt the Slayer who meant so much to him. Spike resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the implied threat.

"Is it your wish, William, to become one with this woman?"

Spike smirked because he knew it would annoy the Watcher but the mocking grin slipped from his lips as he turned towards the Slayer. He met her determined gaze and was surprised to find an echo of the earlier peace move through him. The harsh smile slipped into a softer one.

"I do," the vampire answered firmly with a voice void of anything other than honest respect.

Both Willow and Xander gasped when thunder rolled through the cavern as if lightening had struck into the very heart of the Hellmouth. The booming crash echoed through the chamber and the rocks trembled in its wake. When the ruckus finally quieted, Giles continued.

"Are there any who would dispute this union?" he spoke with a glare towards Xander to make sure that he kept his mouth shut. When there was no protest from anyone in the room, Giles finished the ceremonial ritual. "Then with the blessings of the Mother and the Father and the Old Ones, I proclaim you husband and wife."

The rift to the Hellmouth seemed to sigh and slightly shudder. Everyone cast nervous glances at the glowing hole. Shaking his head, Giles turned his attention back to the now married couple. He explained that they should exchange rings at this point and properly seal their promises. Spike slid his borrowed token from the end of the willow wand. Buffy released her hold on the other ring and offered her hand to the vampire who then slid the delicate piece of jewelry into place. Buffy couldn't help but smile slightly at the beautiful golden band that fit perfectly. She shifted her hand back and forth so that she could watch the candlelight dance and reflect in the small gems. They twinkled merrily and made her grin with happiness.

Once her ring was in place, the teen slid its masculine match from the wand. For a moment, she started in confusion at the vampire. His left hand was currently tied to her right with the golden chord. Spike chuckled at her consternation but lifted their joined hands. He flipped their hands slightly and wiggled his fingers a bit so that his ring finger was accessible. Buffy shook her head but smiled at his almost innocently childish antics. With a bit of dexterity, she slipped the ring onto place. The ring was a bit too large for Spike's ring finger therefore it shifted around more than desired but at least it was in its proper place.

Buffy was so busy staring at their joined hands and Spike's new wedding band that she jumped slightly when she felt Spike's free hand brush against her cheek. Wide hazel eyes raised to meet mocking blue ones. Spike pulled the makeshift veil from over her face. He dropped the lacy material without a thought. It fluttered to the ground in a discarded heap.

"Think I know this part without prompting," the vampire teased as his free hand then slid into Buffy's hair and tilted her head a bit further upwards.

Bending slightly, Spike lips crashed into Buffy's lips in a punishing kiss. The blonde froze under the sudden assault. She neither returned the kiss nor pushed him away. She just stood their passively as her brain attempted to catch up with the thought that Spike was kissing her without benefit of a spell. Realizing that the rough kiss was not eliciting any type of response, Spike softened his attack until he was barely brushing his lips against the hard line of Buffy's mouth. Unexpectedly, the Slayer's lips softened in reply and Buffy offered the slightest bit of a return to the exchange.

What started as a mocking attempt at a power play, suddenly felt like something a bit more. Spike stiffened and pulled back from the kiss. His eyes momentarily lost their arrogance as both Slayer and vampire reflected confusion in their gazes.

"Um, yeah..." Spike muttered as he attempted to take a step back from Buffy but found his motion stalled by the chord still binding their hands.

Buffy said nothing as her free hand rose to her lips. Instead of wiping away the memory of his kiss and making a disparaging comment about his lips, Buffy trailed her fingers lightly over her slightly tingling skin. She swallowed nervously then took a deep breath. She shifted her attention from the vampire to her Watcher who was glaring at her new husband with disgust plain on his face.

"Um, Giles, what do we do about this?" she asked as she held their tied hands towards the silently fuming Brit.

It took the Watcher a moment to refocus on his Slayer. His eyes dropped to the chord wrapped firmly around their joined hands. His hands reached out to unwrap the braided length.

"The hand-fasting stands for a year and a day," he instructed as he gathered the chord and once again rolled it neatly around his own hand. He placed it back on the alter. His hand waved slowly towards the candles which were only about a tenth of the way burned down.

"You have until the candles burn out to finish the final part of the exchange," he murmured without turning to face the duo. The older man wasn't sure he could properly face his young charge and send her off to share blood and body with her undead companion. Not for the first time, the Watcher silently lamented how unfair the universe was to those young girls who were called as the Chosen Ones.

"And where do you propose we do this dirty deed?" Spike questioned casually. "Over in the corner on the rocks and rubble or perhaps in your flat on your couch?"

The vampire turned towards the petite blonde by his side. "How you feel about the bench along main street, Slayer?" he prodded with a lecherous grin.

Giles stiffened in fury but did not verbally respond to the vampire's obvious taunt. In fact, he remained staring at the make-shift alter. The demon had a legitimate question even if he presented it in the worst possible manner. Instead of returning the remarks with his own scathing reply that was burning on his tongue, Rupert pulled his billfold from his pocket. Withdrawing his credit card, he held it towards the couple without turning to face them.

"Find a motel room," he instructed stiffly as he continued to address the candle and flower topped rock. Expecting Spike to gleefully swipe his charge card, Rupert was surprised when it was Buffy's gentle hand that retrieved the plastic from his fingers. She gently squeezed his wrist in a kind offer of equal parts understanding and forgiveness. She murmured a soft thank you to his back before turning to leave. Spike had already started for the exit. He turned back to watch as Willow stopped Buffy from following immediately.

The redhead pulled Buffy into a tight hug.

"Not sure this is the right thing to say but um, congratulations on your marriage," the uncomfortable young woman offered her best friend with a self-conscious smile. In her mind, a best friend had to offer best wishes for a wedding no matter what the underlying reason for the union.

Buffy couldn't help but chuckle slightly. Willow's naivete always did amuse the more cynical Slayer.

"Thank you, Willow," she offered in return as she embraced her friend.

"Um, be careful, Buffster," Xander warned as he stepped up to add his own hug to the mix. He wrapped his arms around both girls and they shifted to include him in their embrace. Buffy raised her head and nodded in appreciation to her Xander-shaped friend and his obvious concern for her welfare. Willow then offered to make excuses to her teachers for her classes that day since dawn was slowly approaching and there was little chance Buffy would be attending anything after the night they had. With one last squeeze, the blonde extracted herself from the group hug and moved towards the exit and her impatiently waiting husband. Buffy frowned slightly at the thought of actually having a husband. It was a concept she had featured in childish daydreams but had never really imagined occurring in her Slayer dominated life. Her eyes met Spike's gaze as she reached his side. For a moment, she thought she saw just as much confusion on his face as was present in her own heart. It made Buffy wonder if Spike had ever daydreamed about being married.

The moment was lost quickly though as the vampire's lips quirked into his customary confident smirk that had been not so strangely missing since discovering the effects of the chip in his head. The vampire had lost an integral part of himself at the hands of the Initiative and he was still wading through the painful changes it meant to his life. Together the couple scrambled from the cavern and away from the opening to the Hellmouth. As they headed down the destroyed hallway of Sunnydale High, the sound of shattering glass echoed from the cavern. The Slayer and the Vampire glanced back towards the sunken cavern. When Buffy would have returned to check on her friends, Spike's hand stopped her.

"Just your Watcher indulging a bit of a temper tantrum, luv," he explained in complete understanding of the other British gent's actions.

"They're fine," he added as he shifted his hand until his palms met Buffy's palm. He wiggled his fingers until their fingers were tightly clasped in a mimic of a lover's affectionate embrace. The vampire tugged gently at the Slayer to prod her back into motion. Reluctantly, Buffy tore her gaze from the end of the hallway and the place where her friends remained. She resisted the pull Spike was exerting on her arm for only a moment then allowed herself to be led from the ruins of the school and into the waning twilight.

Author Notes: The ceremony I wrote for the chosen Expiation Ritual has some elements borrowed from a traditional hand-fasting ceremony. I adapted words and actions to better fit the needs of the ritual. Please forgive any similarities to actual religious rites.


	4. Union

"Well, you just avoided honeymooning as Mrs. Pile of Dust," Spike teased as they slipped into the motel room just a few minutes before dawn. The chipped vampire snorted at his own joke in reference to their conversation during the spell induced engagement a few week ago. He slammed shut the door and flipped the deadbolt as well as the added safety hinge lock. He then moved to the standard motel picture window and checked to make sure that the blinds and curtains were properly closed to avoid any unwanted sunlight sneaking into the room. The vampire wondered why cheap motels bothered with big windows since they were normally just a place for people desperate to use a bed. Perhaps they were an unconscious vamp deterrent. He fussed with the fall of dark material for a moment before turning to face the silent room and his equally silent wife.

Spike paused as his eyes fell on the tiny Slayer who had just mystically married him. Wife. What a weird concept for the vampire to wrap his head around. She had pledged herself to him in front of her friends and in the obvious presence of Greater Powers. Even if her actions were under duress and eminent fear of the end of the world, she had still vowed to bind her life to his unlife. She had promised him both her fidelity and her blood. In over a hundred years of unlife, no one had ever committed themselves solely to him. Although Drusilla had loved him passionately, she had never been able to give herself completely to him as he had done for her. A part of her had always belonged to Angelus.

A painful irony jabbed sharply in the vampire's chest. William the Bloody had finally found the type of monogamous commitment that he had always desired as a human and later coveted from his Sire. That the relationship was with his mortal enemy seemed like the kind of cruel cosmic joke that haunted him lately. He couldn't hunt. He couldn't feed himself and now he was married to the Slayer.

The vampire stared silently at the Slayer who was nervously running her hands over her thighs which were hidden under the soft falls of her white sundress. He found her tension a bit amusing given this wasn't her first rodeo. In fact, this wasn't even her first time with a vampire so why was she so nervous? Spike barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The little redhead had dressed her friend as the innocent virgin bride despite the lack of innocence on either side of the newly wedded couple. He took two steps towards Buffy, and she raised her head to watch his silent approach.

"How do we do this?" she nervously questioned as her eyes darted from his face to his hands to the bed and back again. This level of trepidation gave Spike a moment of hesitation. He wondered if perhaps the Slayer wasn't quite as world wise as he originally suspected. He grinned as he realized that the idea held a certain appeal to him.

Spike took another step closer and Buffy stifled the need to retreat a step. Her instincts warned her to keep out of reach of the dangerous vampire. It didn't matter that the chip in his head protected her from any real violence from the predator or that even before he was neutered by the Initiative that Spike never succeeded in killing her despite repeated attempts. The teen found herself uncomfortably frightened of the male standing before her. Violence and possible death were normal for her; interpersonal sexual relations were not. Her eyes widened as she watched Spike lift his hand and trail a single finger along the neckline of her sundress. The feather light touch drew a shiver over her entire body and goosebumps prickled across her exposed skin.

Spike chuckled at the involuntary response and he reveled in the heady scent of fear that tickled his senses. He watched as the Slayer regained her inner strength and regretted slightly the loss of the momentary vulnerability the petite young woman had fleetingly shown. The vampire wanted the Slayer weakened while under his control. On the other hand, the demon was equally impressed with the strength of spirit his newly acquired wife displayed as she squashed her fear with sheer will alone. He always did give the Slayer props for being one hell of a warrior woman even if he coveted her death.

"Blood or sex first?" Buffy asked curtly in order to cover her nervousness.

Spike smirked.

"More fun together," he replied as his questing finger slid across his bride's shoulder, over her thin dress strap, and down her arm. When his path reached the back of her hand, he cupped it in his grip and slowly pulled her hand towards his mouth. When he had her wrist near his face, he turned his body to the side a bit, twisted her arm just slightly and exposed her inner wrist. Gently, he placed a soft kiss along her radial pulse. While his lips caressed her skin, his eyes met the teen's gaze.

Buffy audibly swallowed.

"Blood first," she huskily whispered. She could feel Spike's lips smile against her skin as his kisses changed to licking along the pulse point.

The vampire felt the flutter of the Slayer's pulse under his lips and he breathed deeply. The fear hormones were still present on her skin but the hint of another collection of hormones were slowly gathering. Spike nuzzled Buffy's skin and grinned in understanding. The Slayer might be scared of being intimate with him but she was also a tiny bit aroused by his ministration. His own body contracted at the heady thought of how exquisite her blood was going to taste. Fear, sex and the inherent power of a Slayer made for a powerful promise. He had been sustaining himself on pig swill and he was now offered a meal fit for a vampire king. Perhaps the cosmos didn't hate him after all.

Spike slid his tongue up Buffy's inner arm until he reached the bend of her elbow. Again, he nuzzled against her skin where the blood flowed closest to the surface. Passively, Buffy stood in front of him as his face lost its human guise. His demon's ridges rose on his forehead and his teeth morphed into fangs. He moved to strike at the vein near her inner elbow. His fangs hadn't even touched her skin when he flung himself back from her and grabbed at his head. He fell to his knees as the pain from the behavior chip slammed into his brain.

"BLOODY HELL!" the vampire cussed as he cradled his head in his hands. He lifted accusing eyes to glare at his companion even though it wasn't her fault the chip was in his head. "Blasted thing won't even allow me to take what is freely offered."

A moment of compassion and frustration passed through Buffy's eyes as she lifted her left hand to rest on the side of Spike's head. She murmured a soft apology as her fingers rubbed gently against the side of his head. Startled by the unexpected touch, Spike stilled under her ministrations. His own hands fell to his sides as he allowed Buffy to sooth his pain with her tentative touches. He closed his feral yellow eyes and enjoyed the moment. The vampire was so caught in the gentle caress that he missed the Slayer pulling free her tiny dagger from the sheath held in place by her tight hair band. He was lucky it wasn't a stake intended for his heart because he never would have seen it coming. William's eyes finally shot open when Buffy hissed and he noticed the tangy scent of blood invade his nostrils.

While he was distracted, Buffy had quickly drawn the sharp edge of her knife across the very place Spike had intended to bite. Blood welled from the wound and began to run down her inner forearm.

Spike growled as he shifted his demonic eyes from the flowing red ambrosia to Buffy's face. It only took a single nod from the girl for him to shift his attention back to the flowing feast. Just because he couldn't sink his fangs into her soft flesh didn't mean she was going to deny him his promised prize. It was just another bit of proof to the chipped vampire that this Slayer was someone deserving of respect. She kept her word even to a demon like himself. Spike respected that since he always tried to keep his promises too.

Spike turned to his promised feast. Instead of latching directly onto the wound as she expected, the vampire once more slightly twisted her wrist to expose the line of blood running down her arm and pooling at her wrist. Before the blood could wastefully drip to the ground, Spike caught the collected red liquid on his tongue. At the first touch on his taste buds, the vampire moaned in ecstasy. Flavor exploded in his mouth and he shivered in joy. His wife's blood was even better than he expected. Even though his memory of his first Slayer's taste had not dimmed over time, it paled in comparison to what he was gifted now.

From his kneeling position on the floor, Spike trailed his rough tongue up Buffy's exposed arm. He left a cool but clean path behind the motion of his mouth. He slowly raised himself upright on his knees to keep his tongue on her skin while not moving her injured arm. He cleared the flowing blood from her lower arm and quickly reached the freely flowing wound. He lapped at the still welling liquid and sighed happily as his free hand began to travel up Buffy's bare leg as he settled his mouth solidly against the slice. The Slayer had cut deeper than needed for the blood to flow but Spike wasn't about to complain. It allowed the blood to flow easier. Humming with contentment, he sealed his lips around the cut and drew her blood into his mouth. He sucked firmly like he was working a thick milkshake through a straw.

Buffy winced slightly and closed her eyes to work past the uncomfortable and frightening sensation of having her blood drawn from her body. Fleetingly, her thoughts flitted to the moment when Angel had latched onto her neck and drank deeply from her in order to stop the poison from killing him. She forcefully shoved aside the memory from last spring though by reminding herself that she could no longer hold onto fantasies about the dark haired vampire. She was married to the vampire kneeling before her now and owed him her loyalty even if he didn't hold her heart. She beat away her roiling feelings concerning her previous love and instead concentrated on the physical feelings currently bombarding her system.

Although her natural instinct was to strike at the vampire feeding at her elbow, she likewise shoved aside the violent desire just like she had her thoughts of Angel. Instead, she actively sought a way to distract her swirling thoughts and fears. To help combat the need to lash out at Spike and to focus her mind, Buffy dropped her dagger to the floor and shifted her now free hand until it rested against bleached blond hair. Her fingers moved through the gelled locks. She loosened wavy curls from captivity and concentrated on the sensation of movement in her fingertips. The repetitive motions as well as the increasing blood loss helped her settle into a more languid and mellow mindset. She began to relax and a slightly hysterical giggle escaped her lips. Buffy never imagined she would be in the position of being married to a vampire and willingly feeding him on their wedding night.

Questing fingers whispered over smooth bare skin as Spike's hand moved slowly from Buffy's ankle towards her knee. His hand paused momentarily to play with the soft skin at the back of her knee before continuing upward. When his hand reached her hip, his deft fingers skimmed along the lacy edge of her satin underwear. Repeatedly, he slipped his dangerous yet gentle hand between the slinky material and her warm flesh. He kneaded her muscles as he slid his hand around her body to cup her ass.

Spike reveled in the assault of pleasure coursing through his body. He hummed with arousal. He luxuriated in the gentle stroking on his head and gloried in the soft flesh in his hand and the sweet ambrosia still rolling across his tongue. As he moaned yet again, he noticed that Buffy's hand was no longer caressing him. He felt the light weight of her appendage resting limply along his neck now. He paused in his pleasurable feeding to take stock of the Slayer. He frowned when he felt her body swaying in his grasp. He concentrated through the hazy high and immediately noticed her gasping breaths and laboring heart.

For a moment, he contemplated the Slayer's struggling heartbeat as his tongue lapped gently at her lightly dripping wound. Blood loss and Slayer healing had slowed the flow significantly but the vampire knew that he could latch back onto the wound and finish what was started and he doubted the pale and disoriented Slayer would even realize what was happening before it was too late to save herself. Temptation slithered through his mind. He held the life of his wife in his hands.

At the heel of that specific thought came the fast realization that he wasn't prepared to lose this moment or lose her. The ecstasy of the immediate fell under the epiphany that this was not only a once in a lifetime experience. She was his for a year and a day. The immediate rush of her death could not compare to the potential that year offered him. Although he wasn't anywhere near willing to admit that he didn't want to see a world without this particular Slayer in it, he was willing to acknowledge that he was certainly enjoying being her husband in this moment and that he anticipated enjoying their union for as long as he could. In his mind, there was nothing wrong with a demon taking pleasure where he wanted even if that pleasure was in the arms of the enemy.

Spike drew away from the wound on Buffy's elbow. His grip at her hip changed from a caress to a supportive hold. He stood smoothy and pulled the wavering teen against his buzzing body. He felt her relax against him. In his highly aroused state, he felt a wave of lust wash over his body. Pulling his new wife even tighter against his chest, the vampire shivered with excitement.

"Slayer?" he called softly as he marveled at the warm body pressed intimately against him. She felt so perfect against him. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this physically aroused. It had to have been years. In fact, he suspected he had not felt this horny since before Dru became ill. Groaning with desire, he watched while Buffy's eyelids fluttered slightly as she tried to open her eyes properly.

"Hmm?" she murmured into his neck as her scattered thoughts refused to collect properly. A hint of a giggle escaped her lips as she lost muscle control.

"Damn," the vampire muttered as he caught the slumping form of the Slayer against his chest. With a simple shift and lift, Spike found himself cradling the barely conscious girl like he was a hero in a romance novel. The vampire was definitely not about to admit to himself or anyone else that he actually liked that passing image. Grunting in disgust at his momentarily poncy thoughts, Spike took the couple steps to the queen sized bed. He gently laid Buffy on the top of the bedspread and moved towards the bathroom. The vampire quickly returned with a towel which he folded up so he could press it against the still slowly leaking slice on the Slayer's arm. Because his body continued to hum with the borrowed power from his wife's blood, Spike found himself fighting to concentrate on the simple first aid the teen required. His thoughts kept swirling beyond his current actions and tempting him with all manner of suggestive, violent, painful and even pornographic images of what he could do with a semi-conscious Slayer in a bed.

In a futile attempt to control his crazy thoughts, Spike began to ramble to his captive audience even though he didn't expect her to reply.

With extreme difficulty, the vampire stayed on task. He maintained pressure on Buffy's wound until the bleeding stopped. He even forced down his demon visage in a further attempt to control his body. Spike then clamored around the motel room seeking fluids for her to drink. He cussed at the cheapness of the hole in the wall motel when he found no room service available or even a minibar available. Although there was a small combination refrigerator and microwave in the corner of the room, there was nothing in it. There wasn't even a six dollar bottle of water available. The vampire did find a two cup coffee pot and a packet of out of date coffee. Despite a century as a vampire, he wasn't sure coffee was appropriate for blood loss. He knew it made him jittery so figured it might make the Slayer feel the same way. Jittery on top of shocky didn't sound like a good idea in his mind. Spike had to settle for filling one of the plastic wrapped cups from the bathroom with tap water and bringing it back to Buffy.

The entire time he wandered through the room, the vamp maintained his verbal barrage. He returned to the side of the bed and manhandled Buffy into an upright position. He then coaxed her to drink the water. After repeating the process with two more cups, Spike settled Buffy back against the pillows. Even after getting her to drink, the vampire maintained a running commentary about all his actions. He stared at her for a moment before snagging the pillow from his side of the bed and sliding it under her feet. After a moments consideration, the vampire slipped the Slayer's feet free from her sandals. The vamp couldn't help but make a scathing comment about the ridiculous little bits of leather straps and tiny buckles that his wife seemed to consider fashionable. He saw them as simply silly. They certainly were not appropriate slaying wear. He tossed the offensive footwear towards the closet before kicking off his boots in the same direction.

Although energy was still humming through his body, Spike crawled onto the bed and propped himself up against the headboard. His hand absently fell onto Buffy's head. He gently stroked along her hairline while he continued his inane ramble which has somehow touched on everything from how superior his boots were to her shoes to how daunting it must be to constantly have the world relying on the Slayer to save it.

"Don't you ever shut up?" Buffy finally asked as she opened her eyes and shifted her head so that she could stare up at Spike from her prone position. A silly grin wavered on her face as she stared at the fidgeting vampire from a position that made him appear upside down.

"At least I know the conversation will be intelligent if I'm the only one talking," Spike replied with a playfully arrogant grin.

Buffy snorted.

"Well, as long as you don't go losing arguments with yourself, I guess it's all good."

"Oh, and just so you know," the Slayer continued in a tone of mock threat "You are so dust if you damaged my ever so impractical sandals when you tossed them across the room. They're designer and cost more than your entire wardrobe."

Spike rolled his eyes in reply. Of course, his current wardrobe consisted of Xander hand me downs, his boots, and a sweater stolen from Giles by his newly acquired wife. She was probably right on the cost count given those pickings. Instead of replying to her jab, Spike reached out to assist Buffy in moving when he noticed her struggling to sit beside him on the bed. Once she was upright, the teen watched in amusement as Spike automatically adjusted the pillows to better support her and ensure her comfort. A soft little smile lifted the corners of her mouth. She reached out and laid her hand on her companion's leg.

"Thank you," she murmured sincerely although she wasn't sure if she was simply thanking him for helping her sit, for not draining her dry, or for ensuring the world didn't end by marrying her. It might actually have been for all three and possibly some other thoughts Buffy hadn't recognized yet.

The thank you confused the vampire. His motions stilled for a moment before his head tilted ever so slightly to the side as he attempted to interpret or predict what was going on in the Slayer's head. He drew a blank. Almost everything about the past hour or so had confused the vamp. With the energy from Buffy's blood still zipping through his system, he doubted he would be concentrating properly on it any time soon either.

"You okay?" he asked in an attempt to change the subject to something less confusing. He nodded towards the towel still wrapped around her arm.

Buffy pulled the towel back from the cut and examined it. No new blood rose even when she moved her arm slowly so she nodded in return and peeled away the slightly bloody towel. She dropped it to the floor much like he had earlier dropped her veil.

"Seems fine. Just a little tender," she added as she gently prodded the pink and slightly swollen flesh. Fleetingly, she wondered if it would leave a scar or if it might heal completely. She shrugged as she figured the scarring issue would most likely be determined by how often she had to repeat the cut to keep Spike's blood craving met. She sighed and returned from her worries for the future in favor of her current one. Having established that she was no longer in danger of bleeding to death, Buffy sat still for a moment as she planned her next bit of action.

The silence grew to an uncomfortable level for Spike and he racked his brain to find a comment to make which would ease the tension. The vampire closed his eyes while his mind leaped from one possible topic to another. None seemed to work in his jumbled mind. He had finally just decided to pick a subject when the idea of speech was suddenly driven completely out of his brain by the soft press of lips against his neck. Spike stiffened as Buffy tentatively placed a series of tiny kisses along the area below his ear but above the neckline of this borrowed sweater.

"Slayer?" he muttered softly as he tried to rationalize her sudden behavior. He hadn't expected her to do much more than sit and groan after the amount of blood he took. All thought flew from his mind though as tiny teeth clamped onto his earlobe. Although not hard enough to draw blood, the Slayer left a clear impression of her teeth on his skin as she pulled back slightly.

The vampire growled in response. His body had already been thrumming from Slayer blood so he had only been a hair's breath away from losing control. Her tiny attempt at seduction pushed him well over the edge. He grabbed Buffy and pulled her onto his lap. A startled squeak escaped her lips but was silenced as his lips collided with hers. Unlike Buffy's soft kisses on Spike's neck, there was nothing tentative or soft about this kiss. She felt like Spike hoped to devour her from her lips onward. Tongue and teeth and lips clashed against her own in a dominant dance Buffy was unprepared to match. She was overwhelmed by the intensity and she ineffectively pushed against his chest in hopes of escaping and catching her breath.

Spike finally abandoned the aggressive plunder of her mouth. Buffy rapidly gulped air as his lips slid across her chin and down her neck. Tiny nibbles alternated with gentle sucking as the vamp progressed down her neck and over her collarbone. Pulled along with his passion, Buffy shuddered as his tongue slipped along the top of her sundress. She moaned when Spike's right hand found its way to cup the under side of her breast. He chuckled against her skin as he moved both hands up to snag her thin shoulder straps. He shoved them down her arms before forcing down the front of her dress to expose her pert breasts.

The vampire leaned forward and nuzzled his head against her chest. He closed his eyes and just listened to Buffy's speeding heartbeat for a moment. His communion with her thumping heartbeat allowed Buffy time to collect her scattered thoughts. She felt both warm and excited while clutched in her companion's arms but the tiny voice in the back of her head reminded her that they needed to finish what they started. They were on a timetable even if she didn't know how long was left. She once more took the initiative. Her hands moved over Spike's back. She massaged her fingers over the muscled planes of his shoulders and lower back. When she reached the bottom of Giles' sweater, she tugged it upward so her hands could move across the bare skin of his back.

Her husband groaned in response to her warm hands on his cool skin.

Spike wrapped his arms around Buffy and pulled her tighter against his body in response to her touch. He had always enjoyed being petted and appreciated that his lover was not going to just sit and expect him to do all the work. He nipped at the side of her breast near his mouth before pulling back. In less then a heartbeat, he pulled off the sweater, tossed it over his shoulder, and dove back towards his now giggling wife. He offered her a grin in return as he tackled her to the bed.

The quick movement made Buffy's head swim. She might have stopped bleeding but her body wasn't completely recovered from the blood loss. She groaned slightly and Spike paused in his renewed attack on her breasts. Even through his blood-high fogged brain, he registered that the moan was not one of pleasure. He pulled back slightly from her body so he could meet her dazed gaze.

"You okay, luv?" he questioned with concern.

Buffy reached up and wrapped her fingers tightly around his upper arms. The teen was desperately trying to use him as an anchor to keep from losing consciousness again. She softly shook her head. She might have been feeling a more positive punch-drunk before from the blood loss but now she just felt ill. Any large exertions were not going to work in her current state.

"Dizzy," she admitted huskily. "Too much movement, not enough blood to the brain."

As if her soft admission flipped a switch in the vampire, Spike froze. He inhaled deeply and his body shuddered with the effort to calm his raging desires. He was walking a thin line and knew he would topple again soon but he could give her a gentle reprieve for a moment or two to catch her breath. Pulling back further, Spike escaped her grasp. Gently, he worked the tiny buttons of her scrunched neckline to open it enough to slide the gauzy white dress easily over her hips. He then moved his hands down to her sides and gathered the material of her sundress.

"Pretty knickers, pet," the vampire complimented as he worked the dress down her legs. He stood and tossed the garment aside as he informed her that red had always been his favorite color.

Buffy did little more than breath as she watched Spike slip out of his pants and crawl back onto the bed. Her eyes widened at her first glance of his naked body. Although less bulky than her normal preferences, he was all sculpted lines and smooth skin that tempted her with thoughts of exploring all his exposed flesh. He was simply breathtaking for the young woman who had only limited exposure to intimacy with naked males.

"How 'bout we try for a bit softer action," the vamp recommended as he trailed his tongue up Buffy's thigh while he crawled forward.

Buffy hummed as the nervousness from earlier reasserted itself. She shifted slightly and her thighs pressed together as Spike's mouth traveled closer to her little splash of scarlet satin still offering a tiny bit of modesty.

"Relax," Spike whispered against the soft skin of her hip as his right hand swirled teasing patterns along the edge of the panties. Her vampire made no move to divest her of the last little shield. Instead, he continued raining wet kisses and tiny nips along the edges of the material on the skin of her thighs, hips and abdomen. He hummed in approval when Buffy's one hand found its way into his hair and mirrored with her own fingers the soothing swirls on his scalp that his fingertips played on her own skin.

Buffy giggled once again when Spike's tongue darted into her bellybutton. Her stomach muscles tensed in response as she waited for more tickling. Her hand tensed in his hair and pulled sharply against his curls. She had always hated being ticklish and expected her vampire to hone right in on that fact. Instead of the dreaded torture, his hands smoothed firmly along her tightened muscles. The teen sighed in appreciation and relaxed when she realized he wasn't purposefully trying to tickle her. The release of the muscle tension in her abdomen also encouraged her to relax her legs. Spike couldn't help but grin in triumph.

He didn't immediately take advantage of her relaxed muscles. Instead William continued exploring her exposed skin with his mouth until he knew that Buffy was lost in the sensations he was creating. With a patience and gentleness that was surprising to the Slayer but greatly appreciated, Spike finally slid away her final bit of clothing. She shivered and tensed once more.

Yet again, her vampire told her to relax as he slowly slid his mouth upwards and away from her newly exposed mound. He prowled possessively up her body laying claim with his mouth to all her uncovered skin until he once more reached her neck. Meanwhile, his fingers kept pace with their tantalizing little nudges and touches along her newly exposed skin. He nuzzled against her pulse as he slid a single finger along her dampening entrance. His finger tested her readiness while he silently lamented his inability to sink his fangs into the racing pulse fluttering under his lips. Spike mentally railed against the Initiative and their cruel chip that curtailed his demonic desires. He failed to realize in that moment that he was most likely only afforded the chance to be this intimate with the Slayer because the chip was in place.

Satisfied that he wouldn't damage his bride by moving forward, Spike shifted his fingers from the cleft between Buffy's legs. He slid his hand towards her knee and nudged her joint up and out. With her hands traveling over his back and neck, Buffy allowed him the movement of her limb and encouraged him to shift his body between her now parted legs. He moved smoothly over her figure until he pressed against her chest to chest.

"Ready?" Spike questioned as he shifted himself until Buffy cradled him comfortably against her inviting warmth. He shivered in anticipation as his gaze locked with his wife's wide open eyes.

Instead of answering, Buffy simply nodded and wrapped her arms tightly around her husband's shoulders. She likewise raised her legs and opened herself fully to his advance. The couple sighed as Spike eased himself gently into her tight sheath and Buffy hooked her legs around his hips as she pushed her hips up to meet his invasion. They moved slowly at first as they attempted to synchronize their wants and needs with the others body rhythms. Control slipped away on both sides as passion flared like a raging flame. Their bodies burned and their minds soared as they raced each other to fulfillment.

Thunder rolled.

The earth shook.

Buffy screamed and Spike roared in completion.

Across town, Giles watched as the flames on the dwindling red and white candles flashed to the ceiling like military flamethrowers. He stumbled to the ground as debris fell and the rock shifted. When the earth stopped moving, the Watcher glanced towards the rift to the Hellmouth. The gaping hole was gone. The ritual of the Expiation of Three was complete. The Brit stared for a moment at the darkened cavern. The apocalypse had been averted. Unfortunately, he didn't feel much like celebrating.

* * *

Author Notes:

Allow me to say that despite how much I adore reading smut, I abhor writing it. Give me a fight scene any day and I can describe it to the nth degree but sex? *shudder* I hope that this passes muster even with my own personal issues with writing physical intimacy.


	5. Peace

"Are you sure this will work?" Willow questioned uncomfortably from her position on the floor beside Tara's bed. The teen fidgeted and picked at the bottom of her shirt. She was clearly an emotional wreck at the moment and Tara wondered if hugging her would help. Unsure of the reception that bit of affection and support would return, Tara simply nodded quickly as she took the single calla lily bloom and placed it in the center of a small circle of sand. The bloom was the only one Willow had been able to salvage from the shattered remains after Giles smashed the vase against the rock wall in the school ruins.

"It's only a-a s-simple preservation sp-sp-spell," her new friend replied as she lit three white candles and offered a silent prayer to the Great Mother for assistance. "It just dries the flower. L-l-like it would if you hung it upside down in a warm, dark, dry place for a few weeks."

Willow smiled happily in response to Tara's explanation. It was the first positive expression she had shared since she arrived at Tara's room earlier in the afternoon. Willow offered her thanks before focusing once more on her friend's spell.

Tara returned the grin with a soft one of her own as she sprinkled some salt over the flower and whispered a short incantation. The candles flickered then extinguished. The soft-spoken Wicca retrieved the now stiffly dried bloom from the center of the circle and held it towards Willow.

"Why d-d-did you want to save it?" the teen questioned. She was slightly confused and quite worried about her companion's current mental state and feared she wasn't thinking rationally. She wasn't acting like the sweet and even tempered Willow she had come to know and care about.

When Willow had arrived at her room at lunch time, she had been thrilled to see her. Despite her own excitement at the visit, Tara had immediately noticed how agitated the other girl seemed. She had invited the redhead into her room and encouraged her to share what was bother her. Willow had then rushed through the fantastic story of the near apocalypse and how her friend, Buffy, had saved the world by wedding a vampire. Although the young woman was happy that the world was not facing immediate doom, Tara did not understand why Willow would want to preserve something as a keepsake for her friend. A reminder of a forced marriage didn't seem like a reason to celebrate in her book.

Willow gently took the offered flower and twirled it slowly.

"I think Buffy may want it some day," she expressed. Her face took on a contemplative countenance as she really considered her motives. She frowned slightly as she searched for the proper words to explain the spiritual experience she had last night during the ceremony.

"The old ones that we called upon during the ritual... it was like they moved through us. I have never felt so connected with the world. I could feel so much. The earth, the fire, the air, and the water. The elemental forces sang in my body and I knew... I knew that they were truly blessing Buffy and Spike. It felt... right. Like right on a scale I would never have considered. Cosmically right even. As if the entire world rejoiced at the joining."

"Sounds beautiful," Tara whispered.

Willow sighed happily.

"It was," she gushed as she reached out and grabbed Tara's hand. "It was beautiful and powerful and..."

"It was right," the redhead repeated firmly. "Vampire, Slayer, it didn't matter. It was just right."

"I want to support that rightness," Willow stated proudly. "Even if all I can do is preserve a flower so that Buffy will have it as a keepsake sometime when she feels the same way I do. I want her to know that she and Spike have my support. I mean, sure, Spike is still all with the Grrr, evil, but I still know it will somehow work."

Tara shifted her arm until she could properly grasp Willow's hand. She squeezed tightly as she encouraged Willow to follow what her heart felt best. Willow glowed in response. Giddiness swept over the young woman as she clutched at her friend's hand. The positive regard she saw in Tara's eyes gave her the strength to admit the other thought that had been bouncing around in her head ever since she was touched by the elements of power.

"I want to learn about the elements," she admitted in excitement. "They whispered to me and touched me so intimately last night. I want to understand how they work and how I can work with them."

Willow held her breath as she worried whether Tara would condemn her for her desire to touch such primal forces once again.

For a moment, the blonde Wicca was silent. She ducked her head and her long hair fell to cover part of her face as she spoke to the carpet instead of her friend.

"I d-d-don't know much about the elements. Simple spells, those my mother taught me. I can't touch c-c-cosmic scale type things. M-M-Maybe you c-c-could find someone who does?" she suggested as she glanced nervously up at her companion. Her heart clenched in her chest. The young witch hated to admit a failing to Willow. She feared that the other girl would turn away from her if she could not give her what she needed and wanted. Tara couldn't stand the thought of losing her new friend. Her heart was already lost to her.

Willow reached out and tucked one side of Tara's hair behind her ear. She offered her a grin filled with affection.

"Maybe we could learn together when we find a teacher?"

Tara raised her head and smiled softly.

"I would like n-n-nothing better," she replied earnestly as the Wicca reached out and brushed her hand over Willow's knee. She really was excited at the chance of spending more time with Willow and couldn't help but think that learning about the elements together would be a truly lovely chance for them both to grow not only in power but also hopefully in closeness.

* * *

A door slamming and a neighbor yelling pulled Giles from his sleep. He sat up and groaned as his body protested the movement. His shifting caused an empty bottle of scotch to roll from the table and shatter on the hard wood floor. Through bleary eyes, the Brit looked around his flat while his head pounded in time with his heartbeat. From the light through the window, he suspected it was close to supper time. Pushing back from the table, Rupert stood and attempted to work loose the kink in his back. He moaned. He was getting too old for sleeping slumped at a table. The room swam and he fought the urge to vomit. He was getting too old to pickle himself with cheap scotch too.

Stepping over the broken glass on the way to the kitchen, Giles stopped and retrieved a large book that was laying open on the ground. The spine was broken and some of the pages had come loose. Rupert leaned against a new and sharp edged dent in the drywall and wondered for a moment why the book had taken such abuse. He respected the written word too much to condone abusing such important research material.

The hang over funk folded back slightly and he suddenly remembered why he had thrown the book in a drunken rage. He dropped the book and rushed the couple steps into his bathroom. Throwing himself at the toilet, he barely had time to lift the lid before he was heaving into the bowl. He purged his system of bile and dry heaved for a few more minutes as the room spun out of sync with the pounding in his head.

Shaken, Giles shifted from kneeling by the toilet until he was sitting with his back against the sink cabinet. He tilted his head back and groaned.

"It's my fault," he moaned as he banged the back of his head against the cabinet door. The pain from the blows didn't begin to approach the roaring in his head from his over indulgence of alcohol when he returned from the Hellmouth this morning.

The British gentleman fully blamed himself for the disaster that forced his Slayer to marry William the Bloody. He shuddered to think what else she had been forced to endure as a result of his negligence. Being compelled to share her body and blood with the obnoxious vampire was a cruel torture that the Watcher imagined would ultimately damage his Slayer's psyche beyond repair.

Rupert cussed softly. Slayers lived short and violent lives. He firmly believed Buffy had survived as long as she had not only because of her skills and quick thinking but also because she held a hope for something better in her heart. Tears rimmed the Watcher's eyes as his guts clenched with dread. He feared that the union with Spike would destroy Buffy's ability to hope. Without hope, he suspected she would not live much longer. His firmly believed that his failure had, in essence, condemned his Slayer to death.

"Why didn't I listen to her?" he lamented aloud as he once more smacked his already throbbing head against the sink. Buffy had come to him with her concerns but he had been too busy trying to prove his own importance with his stupid obsession with the commando sightings to even give her anxieties their proper attention. He didn't even want to dwell on his stupidity in regards to the Word of Valios. He had made an utter mess of the entire affair.

Giles pushed himself upwards. Once standing, he closed his eyes and fought against his body's urge to vomit once more. The room continued to spin and Rupert was forced to grab at the sink top to keep from pitching wildly in response to the rotating room. After he felt confident in his ability to stand without falling, the Watcher opened his eyes and stared hard at his reflection in he mirror. He was not happy with what he saw. His eyes were bloodshot and dark circles rimmed their edges. His hair was unkempt and his clothes wrinkled. Disgusted with himself, Giles washed his face and hands. He reached for the towel hanging haphazardly on the bar and he realized how wrong everything felt. He dried himself then returned the towel to the bar. This time, he folded it and placed it neatly in place.

For too long, Rupert had been existing outside himself. The Brit had been coasting through his life for months. He had allowed the important parts of himself, the things that made him a positive force for good in the life of his Slayer, to fall away. He was responsible for his own behaviors and he was appalled with his current circumstances. He had to change things now before his Slayer or the world suffered even more because of his failures. With a sense of renewed purpose, he turned and exited the bathroom.

He paused for a moment and stared around his flat. He cringed at the mess. Books were strewn across every surface and in no type of order. He had boxes of spell components, weapons and mystical items stashed all over the room. Again, there was no rhyme or reason to their placement. They had all just been chucked into packaging before the destruction of the library and never really found a proper place after the explosion.

"What have I been doing the past few months?" Rupert wondered in horror as he seriously looked at his recent life. He had been lost. His path had become unclear after being fired from the Watcher's Council last year. Despite that upheaval in his life, he had muddled through until they defeated the Mayor. With the destruction of Sunnydale High though, he had lost more of his way. Without the structure of daily work in the library, he had slipped further from his proper way. Now, he found himself lost completely. The children he had mentored for years no longer needed him as an adviser. In fact, they were no longer children at all.

Giles shook his head. They were growing beyond his narrow scope. They didn't need a teacher any longer. Giles once more bent and picked up the hated book that outlined the Expiation of Three. They no longer needed a mentor but he still had something to offer. He could have a proper place in the life of his Slayer. He would just need to find where he fit now that she had grown and changed. He realized that he could be a proper support to an adult Slayer if he made the effort.

With his decision made to embrace life and duty once more, Giles took a step forward. His loafer crunched on shattered glass. He glanced down and his eyes narrowed. That was something that needed to stop also. The drinking contributed to his ineffectiveness and deepened the depression he had been fighting. The Watcher gently placed the much abused tome on the table and moved towards the kitchen to retrieve the broom and dust pan.

Like the younger Scoobies had already started, it was time for him to grow some more too. With any luck, he would be able to keep pace with them and not be left behind.

* * *

Xander Harris pocketed his meager tip from his last pizza delivery of the night and headed back towards his vehicle. He was exhausted from their long night preventing the end of the world last night with too little sleep before work but he was also edgy. He had a nervous energy rushing through his body as if he had indulged in five or six super sized mocha espressos. He tossed the empty, insulated bag onto the passenger side of his beat up vehicle and put his key into the ignition. It took three tries for his car to actually start and he sighed in short lived relief when the engine finally caught.

For a moment, Xander considered driving towards the college and visiting with Willow and Buffy. He figured a bit of friend time before bedtime might make him feel a bit better. A sharp pain in his chest reminded the teen that perhaps visiting his friends wasn't the best idea right now. He didn't want to hear about how Buffy's night with Spike ended. The Slayer might have been forced to marry the vampire to save the world but Xander really didn't want to hear about the gory details. Truthfully, he didn't even want to think about the sacrifice at all. It just made him mad at the world.

Xander pulled off his hat and tossed it onto the top of the pizza delivery bag. He hated delivering pizza. Who would have thought spending so much time with cheesy, saucy goodness would fill him with an actual loathing of what had been a favorite snack. The teen couldn't see himself lasting much longer working at Mr. White's Pizza. He hated the position. In fact, he hated most of the useless jobs he had taken since graduation.

The young man sighed. He just wasn't sure what else he was supposed to do. It wasn't like his resume was teeming with knowledge that would make him appealing to potential employers. There wasn't much call in the workforce for Slayer side-kick and possible bait. His academic life in school had been miserable at best. He wasn't a wiz on a computer like Willow. He didn't have any musical talent like Oz. Unlike Giles, books were not his thing. Unfortunately, he really didn't know what his thing was. The teen snorted. For once, he had to admit that he was happy his thing was not being a Slayer. He played with the idea that he would have let the world be a bit singed by hell if marrying Spike was the only solution.

"Life sucks," he muttered to himself as he put the car in gear. He offered a silent apology to Buffy and Willow. He just wasn't ready to face them and their reality just yet.

Xander angled his clunker into the tiny lot off the alley behind the pizza joint. He frowned and scrambled for the door as he saw one of the older prep cooks struggling against a little brunette who had him backed against the faded bricks near the dumpster. Once his door opened, Xander could hear the older guy, Pete, yelling a garbled call for help as the vampire shoved his hands aside and dove towards his neck. Sprinting with all he was worth, the teen fumbled in his pocket for a stake as his feet pounded across the tiny bit of black top. He saw the vamp bite her victim just before he reached the duo. The brunette lifted her head from her dinner with a cry of pain as she dusted. Sucking air into his lungs from his unexpected sprint, Xander took a step back from his dazed co-worker. He leaned forward and put his hands on his knees while he tried to catch his breath.

"What the hell was that?" yelled the panicked older man as he grabbed at the oozing wound on his neck.

"Gotta love Sunnydale's undead night life, dude," Xander replied sarcastically as he stood and grabbed for the dropped trash bags the prep cook had obviously been taking out to the dumpster before he became a midnight snack for the undead. Xander tossed the bags into the trash receptacle before turning back to his still flustered co-worker.

"How did you do that?" Pete questioned as he edged his way from the dark corner towards the back door to the restaurant. His eyes kept flitting towards the pile of swirling dust that used to be his attacker. Inside seemed like a much safer bet to the shaken older guy.

"Stake in the heart," Xander replied with a casual shrug as he held the stake towards his companion. "Wooden sticks, not just good for toasting marshmallows."

The guy reached towards the wooden weapon with a hopeful look on his face. Xander handed over the stake willingly. It wasn't like he didn't have another one in his opposite pocket and half a dozen more in the car. The prep cook stared at the wooden stake for a moment.

"Thanks," he stated as he turned to enter the back of the building. He clutched the simple weapon like a lifeline.

Xander moved towards his car to retrieve his delivery bag and hat. His co-worker called out to him from his place by the heavy metal door at the back of the building. The prep cook was staring at the wooden stake and running his fingers over the smoothed surface of the weapon.

"You make this yourself?" Pete asked as his fingers found not a single rough edge on the carved bit of wood.

Xander nodded as he closed his car door. Tucking the delivery bag under his arm, the teen slammed his hat on his head and joined Pete by the door.

"I've been carving them for years," the teen admitted.

Pete glanced at the weapon. He nodded to himself once before asking Xander if he liked delivering pizza.

"Isn't exactly my dream job," he replied. "Although at least it isn't working as a prison guard."

Pete almost asked why working as a prison guard was even in the mix but decided to jump to his point.

"Ever consider working with wood?" the prep cook inquired as his hand smoothed over the edge of the stake one more time.

"My brother is a carpenter and he is always looking for decent help."

Xander appeared skeptical for a moment.

"He wouldn't need help digging up old ruins, would he?" Xander asked as he remembered his last attempt at construction. The teen could stand to never again have vengeance spirit induced diseases.

Once again, Pete shook his head in confusion at the teen's seemingly random comment.

"Um, no. I don't think so. He does framing work for a local construction company. He also does some custom cabinetry as a side business. I could have him give you a call if you might be interested in carpentry."

Once more, Pete held up Xander's stake.

"You seem to have a knack for it," Pete complimented.

Xander considered the offer for a moment before nodding.

"Sure. I'd like a chance to talk with him," the teen decided with a grin.

"Great," Pete replied as he moved into the back of the restaurant. The older man rambled a bit about how great his older brother was and how much Xander would like him.

Xander chuckled. The longer he listened to Pete, the more he was glad he came back to the pizza joint instead of heading over to the campus. Not only had he saved the prep cook's life, but he also found his next job opportunity. Who knew? Maybe carpentry was going to be the right fit for him. It had to be better than delivering pizza. Xander shrugged and tossed his delivery bag and hat onto the shelf in the utility area of the restaurant. A tiny bit of infectious optimism skipped through his mind. At least for him in this moment, perhaps the world didn't quite totally suck.

* * *

Awareness came slowly. It fought its way free from the darkness and the Slayer took the moment of quiet to take stock of her body. She ached. It wasn't a new or unexpected way to awaken. Given the time she spent in combat with supernaturally strong beings, not having a twinge or two of discomfort as she pulled from slumber would actually have been of particular note. In the back of her sleepy brain, Buffy cataloged each pain. Her head throbbed. Her stomach felt a bit queasy and her mouth seemed like a veritable cotton field. Her arm ached sharply and the muscles in her legs and stomach seemed overly fatigued. She was desperately thirsty but an unexpected lethargy suffused her body to the point that she couldn't imagine moving to actually get a drink.

Like a curtain being opened to the dawn, the sleep fog suddenly withdrew and memory returned. Buffy swallowed as she remembered why she felt the way she did. She had been wrestling with a demon last night. It just wasn't wrestling in the manner she normally battled. A blush rose on her skin and a feathery touch ghosted over the warming flesh. Buffy opened her eyes and met the steady blue gaze of her bed mate whose fingertip was trailing gently over her embarrassment tainted skin. Spike was reclining beside her with his head resting on his bent elbow and his body turned to face her. A strange little smile that did uncomfortable and unmentionable things to Buffy's stomach slipped across her husband's lips.

Husband. That was a thought that was going to take some serious time to get used to it.

Buffy swallowed again and the light blush on her cheeks bloomed into a full face attack that then swept down her neck. She gulped air nervously and lowered her eyelids to hide the unexpected rush of confusion. It was the first time she had ever woken beside a guy with whom she shared an intimate moment. That would have been uncomfortable for the teen even if the man wasn't her mortal enemy turned husband. Given her lack of experience, the teen wasn't quite sure how to handle the situation. The queasy feeling in her stomach grew until it felt like she had swallowed a horde of bugs that were skittering crazily through her guts. She mentally clamored for a way to relieve her anxiety.

"You're here," Buffy stated with a hint of amazement tinting her soft voice but mostly it was edged with a subtle kind of fear.

Spike raised his eyebrow questioningly.

"Sorry to disappoint," the vampire replied with an unexpected touch of pain in his normally snarky tone. Suddenly feeling a lot more grumpy and a lot less amused, Spike shifted away from Buffy. He laid on his back and stared morosely at the ceiling. Silently, he berated himself for the passing moment of thinking this morning might be anything other than a disaster.

Buffy frowned.

"Not actually disappointed," the teen admitted. She paused. "Huh, I'm really not," she repeated with an answering bit of amazement in her expression.

The Slayer gathered the sheet against her naked body and shimmied herself into a sitting position. She leaned back against the headboard and wiggled a bit to loosen more blanket. She self-consciously tucked the sheet around her chest for modesty's sake. Being totally naked with someone she had previously wanted dust was not helping the teen with her disjointed feelings. In an attempt to avoid looking at the vampire beside her on the bed, Buffy glanced about the room. She noticed two glasses of water sitting on the nightstand. She immediately grabbed for one. It was slightly warm but not yet room temperature. The water disappeared down her throat with a sigh. Setting aside the empty glass, Buffy took the second one. Before she drank it, Buffy turned her attention back to her silent companion.

"You get these for me?" she asked quietly.

Spike rolled his eyes.

"Well, it wasn't the bloody maid service," he grumbled as he wondered why the hell he had even bothered. It wasn't like his efforts meant anything. It had just seemed like the right thing to do. Spike had woken up soon after the sun set and had lain in bed watching his wife innocently sleep. It had made him feel strange. Echoes of dreams long forgotten had tripped through his mind and he had gotten out of bed and retrieved the water in an attempt to clear the strange resonance from his head.

Confused further by the vampire's harsh tone, Buffy reached out and brushed her fingers over his arm. Her tentative touch drew Spike's gaze from the ceiling back to face.

"Thank you," Buffy offered with an encouraging smile.

For a heartbeat, the vampire stared hard at the Slayer. He then shook his head slightly and levered himself up into a sitting position. Unlike the teen, he didn't clamor to cover himself with the sheet and the cheap cotton ended up precariously pooled in his lap. Buffy watched the slide of the cover as it shifted to reveal the muscles of Spike's chest and abdomen. The blush that had been fading roared back into life with a vengeance.

Spike chuckled. He couldn't help himself. For all her fierce warrior attitude and bravado, Buffy still showed a hint of vulnerable innocence that he found equal parts amusing and intriguing.

"You're welcome," the vampire grumbled. "Now drink your water."

Again, Spike was surprised when the normally contrary teen actually followed his directions. He watched her throat work as the second glass of fluid followed the first. The vamp groaned softly with the desire to sink his fangs into the side of her exposed skin. Her skin was so soft and smooth and the blood under it seemed to sing like a siren to his unbeating heart. After only one taste, he knew he was addicted. Spike couldn't wait until he was offered his next treat. A joyful grin broke across his face as he once more realized that he had an entire year worth of treats coming his way.

When Buffy moved to replace the empty glass on the nightstand, she jumped as a gentle finger trailed over her exposed shoulder. The teen whipped her head around to stare at the evilly smiling vampire. She shivered and clutched the sheet more firmly against her body when she saw the expression on his face. There was a possessive and almost feral gleam in his eyes that would have frightened even more experienced women. As it was, the vampire's shift in appearance pricked at the Slayer's survival instincts. Buffy tensed as she tried to convince herself that Spike really couldn't hurt her. Despite her mental reminder, her right hand knotted into a fist.

"No," she quietly told herself. She needed the verbal directive. It served as a reminder that she was married to the man beside her and that she couldn't just hit him in response to her fears. That wasn't the way marriage was supposed to work. You didn't abuse your spouse. Even if he was a vampire. In her still slightly naive eyes, some things were just wrong and Buffy didn't want to see herself as being that type of a person. She may be a warrior and a slayer of evil but she would not be abusive to someone who was not hurting her or others.

The whispered word that sounded more like a plea made said vampire pause in his slow movement to get closer to his wife. He frowned in confusion as he wondered if the no was meant for him. After that thought, came the wonder if he even cared if the no was directed at him. It wasn't like his conscious was pricking at him about it. No had never stopped him in the past. Before he could answer the unexpected question in his own mind, he noticed the Slayer's fist angling towards his head. He flinched in anticipation of the awkward strike to his skull. Instead of a blow though, fingers sunk into his hair and tugged gently at his loosened curls.

Spike froze as Buffy's hand continued to move over his scalp. The vampire just barely caught himself from snorting. The Slayer was petting him. That was not what he had been expecting. It also didn't mean he didn't like it. The gentle touch momentarily soothed his ragged nerves. For all that Buffy was a confused mess, Spike wasn't much better. Once more, the blasted Slayer had shaken his world and tossed him into the unknown. It was beyond disquieting. Deciding to ignore his raging thoughts and enjoy the momentary affection, Spike just focused on the warm caresses.

While he had been drinking from her arm, Buffy had found that she could distract her instinctual response of violence towards the undead demon by concentrating on the tactile pleasure of touching Spike's hair. It had served as a focus for her thoughts and fears while he was feeding and Buffy hoped that the distraction would work again. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the feeling of her fingers shifting. It had much the same effect as petting a cat purring on ones lap. There was a reason therapy animals helped. The repeating and comforting motions quieted the churning emotions in the Slayer's body. Her blood pressure lowered and her breathing slowed. She felt Spike move towards her and she shifted into a better position as his head brushed against her side.

"Not a sodding labdog," Spike growled against Buffy's thigh as he settled his head a bit more comfortably into her lap.

Buffy's hand paused in its travels over his scalp.

"Um, didn't think you were," she replied incredulously. The Slayer couldn't imagine why Spike would think she saw him as a pet. The aggressive vampire could never be seen as pet-like. There was nothing fluffy about him. If anything, he was more the snarling rabid guard dog type animal. A service animal, not a pet. She smiled softly. Guard dogs where loyal and Spike's devotion to Dru had been obvious. Fleetingly, Buffy wondered if she kept him properly chained and gave him proper attention if he would come to be loyal to her. She shook her head at the fanciful image.

Her fingers returned to their pattern of petting. Spike sighed in contentment and Buffy's shoulders relaxed. The tension that had been building as she worried seemed to slip away as easily as her fingers slipped through her husband's curls. Her fear of Spike's possible possessiveness and his fear of being less than a full demon slowly faded. Blood lust quieted. Anger at the unfairness of the world's expectations slithered to the back of Buffy's mind. Neither knew how they were going to proceed in their relationship. They didn't know where Spike was going to live. They didn't know how Buffy's friends and family were ultimately going to react to their relationship. They didn't even know how they were going to define their relationship to themselves. All they did know was that in this moment, both the Slayer and the vampire held a tiny bit of peace that touched their minds, their bodies and their spirits. In that moment, this peace was enough.


End file.
